In the small town of Pendleton in northeastern Oregon, where Evangelina Olivera PhSci’19 grew up, the nearest large hospital is about three hours away. The town
of 17,000 is better known for its local rodeo, The Pendleton Round Up, than the pharmaceutical
industry.

But, for Olivera, watching her best friend from childhood take on, and ultimately
lose, a four-year battle with Ewing sarcoma cancer in her femur propelled her to look
beyond the borders of Oregon to pursue a career in medicine.

“Hailey and her family continue to motivate me daily to reach the goal that I set
for myself when I was only 13 years old—to assist in the research and development
of a cure for cancer,” said Olivera.

As she approached the end of high school, Olivera, who is just the second in her family
to pursue higher education, was recruited to play softball. When the coach from USciences,
a small institution on the other side of the country, approached her, Olivera took
her chance.

“When I came here I really fell in love with the atmosphere,” said Olivera. “It is
like a small town, in the middle of a big city.”

Moving to the East Coast and living in a big city come with some financial realities.
“Philadelphia, in general, is an expensive city to live in, and then in this neighborhood
on top of it, it isn’t cheap,” she said.

Although her athletic scholarship helped to defer some of the cost, Olivera sought
other scholarship opportunities, too. She was awarded the Martin Buchalter Endowed
Scholarship, which was established by Carol and Martin Buchalter P’55, HonDSc’15 to support students who are studying pharmaceutical manufacturing
or who have expressed an interest in pursuing a career in pharmaceutical manufacturing.

Buchalter, who posthumously received an honorary doctor of science degree from USciences
in 2015, made his name as a medical ultrasound pioneer when he was president and CEO
of Parker Laboratories. He advanced the medical application of ultrasound by developing
a gel that is applied to the patient’s skin, thus providing the medium that the ultrasound
waves need to enter the body tissue.

“I could not be more thankful and constantly grateful for having been awarded this
additional scholarship.”

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Evangelina Olivera PhSci’19

“I could not be more thankful and constantly grateful for having been awarded this
additional scholarship,” Olivera said. “After medical school I would like to work
with oncological treatments. I know that is going to be a long path, but I am committed
to making a difference for patients like Hailey.”

Though she has not graduated, Olivera’s pursuit of working in cancer research has
already begun. As an undergrad at USciences, she has had the opportunity to work in
two labs, under the direction of pharmaceutics professor Clyde M. Ofner III, PhD, and Zhiyu Li, PhD, director of undergraduate pharmacology/toxicology, conducting research on cancer drugs and drug delivery systems.

To Olivera, receiving a scholarship like the Martin Buchalter Endowed Scholarship
is more than just about the financial aspect; it has given her the confidence to continue
to pursue her education and her dream.

“For some people, the financial burden of medical school can hinder their aspirations
because it may seem like it is unaffordable,” she said. “So just getting a scholarship
like this boosted my motivation to continue to do the things that I really want to
do but might not have been able to if not for the financial support.”